Where is the war on terror headed? There is a lull to the Indo-Pakistan storm as Imran Khan announced that Islamabad will release IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan, who was captured on Wednesday. The script of war against terror has momentarily drifted, and it remains to be seen if India accepts what Pakistan calls a gesture of peace. The fact that Delhi managed to secure the release of the captive Wing Commander speaks volumes of the international pressure that was involved.
However, the bigger question lies completely forgotten. Has India managed to avenge the Pulwama terror attack? Three days after the much-talked about Surgical Strike 2.0, nothing substantial has surfaced to suggest that JEM has been inflicted damage. The chest-thumping and ‘saugandh mujhe is mitti ki…’ sloganeering has only incited euphoria, both within citizens and sections of media. The reality lay buried somewhere as India soaked itself in a frantic realm dominated by simulations.
The random toll figures that have been floating have not been backed by factual data. The global media has gone on an overdrive questioning the damage claims made by India with international news coverage showing damage to property, but not to JEM camps. To make matters worse, reports suggest that JEM had emptied their camps in Balakot raising questions about the intelligence behind the strikes. Furthermore, file pictures of Balakot earthquake of 2005 have been circulated on social media shown as the aftermath of Surgical Strike 2.0. Questions started to surface over the strikes.
The entire conflict stands dominated by delusionary behavior of proving lies from facts and sheer political one-upmanship. The bigger political picture was slowly unfolding in the background. Grandiose notions of the government in power were the highlights, completely overshadowing the objective of the country’s war on terror.
There are however a few takeaways that will stand tall. The bravado of our forces needs to be saluted for striking deep inside enemy territory. IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan needs to be hailed for taking on the F16s of Pakistani forces. Our forces passed the test with flying colours. And the political clout which India shared with global power centres was evident.
For all the euphoria of triumph, the sad reality is the fact that Indian strikes will have minimal impact on terrorism and the ground situation will remain unchanged. Even if we are to accept the strikes in all the magnitude that is portrayed, it won’t wipe off terrorism. A muted reaction to Pulwama terror could have invited the wrath of the opposition. The offensive now gives enough ammunition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha campaign and places him on a high pedestal ahead of a big electoral challenge.
